Vegemite

(Editor’s Note: In honor of Steve Irwin “The Crocodile Hunter,” The Impulsive Buy will review an Australian favorite, Vegemite. Irwin was a crazy mofo, but my kind of crazy mofo. He will be sorely missed, even the crikey. Rest in peace, Crocodile Hunter.)

There are things in life that we all must experience. Love and heartache. Happiness and sadness. Taxes and death. Jury duty and public urination. Liking a band and 10 years later realizing how lame they were, like WHAM!

Along with these experiences, we each have our own list of individual things we want to accomplish in our lifetime. My list is long because it contains things like, becoming a millionaire, being on the Today Show, and touching a woman’s boobie, none of which I have accomplished.

Recently my list became a little shorter when I tried Vegemite for the first time. It’s been something I’ve wanted to try ever since hearing the 1982 Men at Work song “Down Under.”

For those of you that aren’t familiar with Vegemite, it’s a Concentrated Autolyzed Yeast Extract, which forms the acronym C.A.Y.E., which ironically spells out the sound that came out of my mouth while running and gagging to the nearest sink after trying Vegemite on Ritz cracker.

Hmm, how can I describe the taste of Vegemite without causing an international incident or losing any Australian or New Zealand Impulsive Buy readers?

It looks like chocolate, spreads like peanut butter, smells like beef bouillon, and tastes like what I imagine tossing someone’s salad would taste like. I guess the salad tossing taste would explain the “vege” part in Vegemite.

Vegemite is definitely one of those things that will put some hair on your chest, and if you already have hair on your chest, it will put the hair someplace else. Since I already have hair on my chest, I believe the hair will probably grow on my palms, but I won’t know if it’s the Vegemite or my excessive masturbation that causes it.

I’m probably wrong about this, but I believe that Vegemite was created to disgust foreigners from anywhere outside the Australia/New Zealand area. Perhaps it’s payback for all the horrible things that we Americans have exported to Australia and New Zealand, like Rob Schneider movies.

If that’s the case, I’d like to call a truce.

Item: VegemitePrice: $2.99 (4-ounces)Purchased at: World MarketRating: 1 out of 5Pros: Puts hair on your chest and if you already have hair on your chest, it will put hair someplace else. Looks like chocolate. Low fat. Wonderful source of riboflavin and gagging.Cons: Almost made me puke. Salty. Does not go well with Ritz crackers and probably won’t go well with any other cracker. Smells like beef bouillon and tastes like I just tossed someone’s salad. Steve Irwin’s passing.

42 thoughts to “Vegemite”

Man, there had to have been something besides Vegemite you could have done for Steve. That is going to far in his honor. I too tried it, oddly enough, in Honolulu, as a wee child–foul. I spit it out, literally. I had tried it before the song though, so instead of being fascinated, the song repulsed me. Actually, all of the imagery in that song repulses me and makes me never want to go near Australia. ‘Twas a fantastic and catchy tune though. I still overplay it and Overkill.

As a Yank living in Australia, I really think you have to have Aussie genetics to like this stuff. It’s nasty, like a yeasty salt lick, yet kids go to school with Vegemite sandwiches (white bread, butter and Vegemite).

My brother-in-law is Australian and when his mother visited the U.S. she brought a vat of Vegemite for her brekkie, as the crazy foreigners say. One morning, I wandered down and she put a thin layer of the stuff on a buttered piece of toast and put it on a plate for me. I ate half of it and did not die but my politeness can only extend so far.

Vegemite is THE BEST! As an Australian I agree that you have to grow up with it – definitely an acquired taste… I am currently trying to get my three-year old Memphis-born daughter to acquire it!

Best way to eat vegemite – spread THINLY on a buttered piece of hot toast … or on a saltine cracker with nothing else – not a Ritz ever! Kraft actually make a vegemite cheese in Australia – cheese slices with vegemite already in there … kids love it even though its kind of grey looking …

Go back to World Market and get the famous “Arnott’s Originals” chocolate biscuits (sold as Tim Tams in Australia) – your faith in Aussie food will be instantly restored!

I’ve always been curious about Vegemite, but when I was little I thought it had something to do with termites. vegetarian termites… so do they sell it in the supermarket or only in the specialty stores.

The trick to vegemite is small quantities. It should be treated like vermouth in a dry martini. Butter your biscuit (a more european definition, meaning cracker) give it a nice layer of real butter, and oh so light spread of vegemite. Barely color the golden butter with the dark brown vegemite. It’s not so bad that way, drink with strong sweet tea.

Eeeew, Vegemite, Marmite, all that stuff is sickening. I think I’d rather toss a salad. Really. But now, Nutella, yummmmm, that’s good stuff. I have to get some Nutella now, my son would love it. Peace to Steve, who hopefully did not have to eat too much Vegemite in his life.

Vegemite is something you either like, or really, really don’t 🙂 Just like Marmite, which is the one that most people have heard of. I love Vegemite, it’s a lot weaker a taste than Marmite which I cannot stand. Yes, made of the same, but taste is quite different. Oh well, at least you know now 🙂 Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Vegimite reminds of the 1984 Worlds Fair held in New Orleans. Men at work were the big thing so anything Australian was cool. My brother and I go to the Australia pavilion and we are waiting for the tour to begin when this old lady walks up and then lets out the loudest fart. My brother and I look at each other and have a laughing fit. The old lady slinked away. Then after the tour we go to the gift shop and buy a little jar of Vegimite where we proceed to put some a cracker take a bite and gag the rest of the day. Yeah, now whenever I read about vegimite, or Men at Work I think of the old lady and her sonic fart.

Yuck. I’ve heard of the nastiness that is Vegemite, and I’m glad you were brave enough to try it Marvo, ‘cuz I sure as hell won’t. The packaging isn’t very appealing, either. Too old fashioned. The container looks medicinal, like Ben-Gay or something.

Ohh, sweet Nutella. Gia’s right; spread a little on a hot buttery croissant, have a cup of coffee or tea, and that’s pretty damn good.

I am Australian, so I must admit I eat vegemite all the time…as said before, it is best spread just a scraping on hot buttered toast. I did notice when I was living in the US that everything appeared to be sweetened in America, even the bread and crackers, so that may be why the vegemite doesn’t go so well with anything there. I actually prefer promite though – it is a bit sweeter than vegemite:)

Doo,doo,doo,doo,doo,. Doo, doo, doo, doo ,doo,doo, doo doo doo,doo.doo.
No Nutella,no,no Nutella!
Vegemite.I’ll try anything once.
And in light of the crappy passing of Mr. Irwin.
He should have been on Snakes on a Plane.
I’ll try it.And report back if I survive. Heck I like white bread with cheap La Choy soysauce sprinkled on it,so vegemite, on toast, with butter.Should’nt be that bad…..God help me.
I am American but I grew up in Germany. Nutella is nasty.Though I love hazelnuts and I love chocolate, and I love them together,in candy bars(Ritter Sport),ice cream,etc,….but not Nutella. That is not chocolate from this earth that they use. It is like “chocolate food” with bastardized hazelnuts mixed in. You know how the goverment has cheese…Nutella is the same equivalent as a “chocolate hazelnut spread” Bleaah!!!!

So.. uh, what exactly IS vegemite supposed to be, anyway? It doesn’t look too appetizing. Eesh.. I got a lot of reviews to catch up on it seems. Changed color scheme/layout it seems too. Ahh.. it’s good to be back home.

L’il E – You should’ve seen me run to the nearest sink. I was so hoping I wasn’t going to throw up along the way there. A co-worker, who was in the room, asked me if I was all right, I rightfully told her “no.”

When I worked in Japan as an English teacher, I had an Australian co-worker. One day I saw the yellow jar of Vegemite sitting on the table in the teacher’s lounge since he was fixing himself a snack (he had stepped out of the room for a minute). I looked at the jar curiously when my other co-workers started warning me not to try it. I picked up the jar, opened it, and sniffed the contents. I suppressed my gag reflex as best as I could, then put the jar down immediately.

Oh, and it really sucks that Steve Irwin died. What a way to go though, eh? I guess it’s an appropriate death for an adventurer nature guy like him- kinda like that guy who tried to befriend bears and made a documentary out of it, but didn’t even live to see it since he and his girlfriend were killed by a bear.

Growing up in the UK I was raised on Marmite. Vegemite is weaker and a poor substitute. Both (I believe) originated as waste products from the beer brewing process. Anyway, Marmite is fabulous, if an acquired taste. You have to work at these things folks. Who likes single malt scotch the first time they try it? C’mon… give Vegemite a chance people.